Fit for a Queen

Life 1,200 years ago was far from easy, especially considering the often cold and unforgiving conditions of the Nordic countries, but these determined medieval people lived rich lives as farmers, traders, fiber workers, fishermen, and – of course – seafaring raiders.

One of the most incredible accomplishments of medieval Scandinavians was the longship, used for centuries by the Norse for fishing, trading, and raiding – it was an engineering masterpiece for the age. In addition to being a feat of engineering, the contributions of fiber artists cannot be understated – the creation of a single 1,000 square foot sail was hundreds of hours of labor for multiple people.  Flax or wool had to be harvested, processed, spun, woven, felted, and then treated with animal fat to make it water-resistant. The building of a longship was a months-long process.  These ships were prized possessions, so one had to be an incredibly important individual within a community to be buried with one.

The Oseberg ship burial is one of only a few of these types of burial mounds uncovered from the middle ages. Buried originally around 834 and excavated during 1904 and 1905, it’s been researched heavily in the last 120 years. This burial mound contained extensive quantities of grave goods, including four sleighs, a cart, bedposts, chests, household goods, and tools.  It also contained the remains of 14 horses, an ox, and three dogs, all alongside the remains of two very richly-dressed women of stature and tucked inside the hull of a 70-foot-long longship. This archaeological masterpiece has been an incredible glimpse into the past, and one of the few instances of textiles to be recovered from the period.

To commemorate this historic find, we are excited to reveal our next Special Run model in the 2026 BreyerFest lineup. The striking Oseberg has been done on the Othello mold, #708, sculpted by Kathleen Moody, in a rich dark seal bay, reminiscent of the color of the beautifully preserved oak of the historic ship. This model is available to VIP, All-Access, and Online Traditional Access ticket holders.

Check back on the BreyerFest Blog tomorrow for another reveal!